Last month’s macro haul on the Sony RX-100 Mark II

As much as I prefer shooting video on the ‘ol RX-100, macro photography has become a default posit in my dive schedule as of late. This is mostly because the dive sites I’ve been frequenting with Steve Tan are considered playgrounds for all things small. And really, there’s nothing more challenging than finding a shrimp that’s 1/10 the size of a needle in a haystack of anemone.

This was exactly what I was looking for in a guide and Tim’s dive masters are also trained photographers, so they know how to operate a camera as much as — and even more — as you do.

My current setup involves the RX-100 Mark II (no reason to upgrade to the Mark III) on the Nauticam housing. But this time, I left my +10 diopter at shore because Tim Ho lent me his +15 prototype. Speaking of Tim, Anilao Photo Hotel is the place to be if you want to improve your photography (Not a sponsored post!! I pay for my dives!). This was the first time my spotter actually gave me an actual tutorial underwater, showing me how to stabilize my shots and adjusting my strobe positions. This was exactly what I was looking for in a guide and Tim’s dive masters are also trained photographers, so they know how to operate a camera as much as — and even more as — you do.

Here are some of my shots:

Psychedelic Batwing

Chromodoris quadricolor

Alcyonohippolyte commensalis

Xenia soft coral shrimp (similar to Alcyonohippolyte commensalis above but with a different set of ‘tattoos’)

Many thanks to Tim Ho for lending me the diopter and to dive guide Ivan who helped me figure out proper strobe positioning. If you want to see more of my UW photos, you can proceed to my Flickr page. Parting shot below: Steve Tan getting down and dirty on the substrate from a previous dive. We were shooting hairy gobies and cuttlefish.

About the author

Jayvee Fernandez

Jayvee Fernandez is a tech enthusiast, EAN certified SCUBA Diver and underwater photographer based in Metro Manila, Philippines. His photos and videos have appeared in various international and local publications including Random House Germany, Discovery Channel Canada, and CNN.